boule
/buːl/
"boule" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“boule” is uncommon English (frequency #82,124 among 31,241 “B” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #82,124
- frequency rank, English
- 31,241
- “B” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - One of the bowls used in the French game of boules.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | boule |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /buːl/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Frequency rank | #82,124 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “boule” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
boule is uncommon English at frequency #82,124 among 31,241 “B” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /buːl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.
boule doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From French boule. Doublet of bull (etymologies 2 and 4) and bulla, or of bowl and pulla, depending on the etymology of the French word. The correct English form is boule, spelled B-O-U-L-E.
Definition
- 1One of the bowls used in the French game of boules.
- 2A single-crystal ingot produced by synthetic means.
- 3A round loaf of bread.
- 4A round piece of dough.
- 5A through-sawn log with the slices restacked in the order and orientation they originally had in the log, usually with waney edges.
Etymology
From French boule. Doublet of bull (etymologies 2 and 4) and bulla, or of bowl and pulla, depending on the etymology of the French word.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "boule"?
What does "boule" mean?
How do you pronounce "boule"?
What is the origin of the word "boule"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “boule”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is B-O-U-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /buːl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Other uncommon English words near this rank
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.